Eoghan Harris: Groupthink? No, RTE's real problem is sheepthink

RTE is the most important influence in shaping the Irish moral imagination. The results of referendums can be reversed by acts of political will. Not so the indelible impact of the stream of images and ideas from RTE -- and if they have no impact, then the advertisers are wasting their money.

RTE is the most important influence in shaping the Irish moral imagination. The results of referendums can be reversed by acts of political will. Not so the indelible impact of the stream of images and ideas from RTE -- and if they have no impact, then the advertisers are wasting their money.

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Eoghan Harris: Groupthink? No, RTE's real problem is sheepthink

Independent.ie

RTE is the most important influence in shaping the Irish moral imagination. The results of referendums can be reversed by acts of political will. Not so the indelible impact of the stream of images and ideas from RTE -- and if they have no impact, then the advertisers are wasting their money.

The public is acutely aware that the Fr Reynolds affair is only the tip of an ideological iceberg. That is why the BAI report warning about "groupthink" struck a deep chord. Alas it's a chord to which Aoife Kavanagh and Brian Pairceir still seem deaf, given their response to the report.

Last Tuesday the RTE board touched obliquely on "groupthink" by promising to "assess the cultural and working environment at RTE in which editorial and creative decision-making takes place". How an RTE group can challenge RTE groupthink remains a mystery.

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